In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Daphne Robinson—attorney, former juvenile prosecutor, public health professional—reflects on what it means to tell the truth about a system she once served from the inside.
Through her book, she challenges colleagues, questions long-held assumptions, and names the ways Black children are treated differently in juvenile court.
We talk about why public health belongs in the courtroom, what justice requires beyond punishment, and why she believes even this difficult moment may one day lead to reconstruction.
You’re listening to the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Episode 49.
Meet Daphne Robinson, JD, MPH ✨
Daphne Robinson, JD, MPH is a nationally recognized attorney, public health strategist, and business consultant with a career spanning federal and state judicial clerkships, prosecution, private practice, public health policy, and nonprofit leadership.
She is the founder of Daphne Robinson Training & Consulting and the creator of ‘Her Next Chapter: A Summit for Black Women Lawyers.’ She is also the author of Delinquent: How the American Juvenile Justice System Is Failing Black Children.
Conversation Highlights 🎙️
- From prosecutor to public health advocate: Daphne shares how years in juvenile court led her to pursue an MPH so she could better understand why children kept cycling through the system—and what real prevention would require.
- Writing the truth anyway: She reflects on the courage it took to write Delinquent and publicly critique the juvenile justice system she had served from the inside for decades.
- Justice is not fairness: Daphne makes a powerful distinction between treating everyone the same and giving people what they actually need—an equity lens shaped by both law and public health.
- The system on autopilot: With striking clarity, she describes a criminal justice system that keeps moving in the wrong direction because no one is willing to take it off autopilot and do the harder work.
- Reconstruction as hope: Even in a dark moment, Daphne offers a vision of reconstruction—believing that this period of deep strain could lead to something more just, humane, and healing.
“The system is not supposed to be fair. It’s supposed to be just.” — Daphne Robinson, JD, MPH
Stay in Touch 🔗
With Daphne Robinson, JD, MPH
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-robinson-jd-mph/
Email ↗: Daphne.Robinson.JD@gmail.com
Subscribe to her LinkedIn newsletter, The Purposeful Pivot, to learn more about the upcoming free ‘AI Unlocked 3-Day Challenge’ — April 28–30, 2026. Black women lawyers deserve to lead the AI era, not catch up to it!
With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch
Website ↗: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com
Follow for weekly reflections on courage and leadership ↗: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6
Public Health Consulting to Support You 🤝
We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design and facilitate interactive workshops for women leaders in public health — turning courage into a leadership skill so it becomes an organizational strength.
If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we’d love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn ↗ or through our website ↗.
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